Being a Banner [ 1 of JA ]

56

I stare at Dad through the glass of the lab, hesitant to walk in. When I do, the sound of the doors opening catches his attention, and he looks over at me. He smiles small, like a pity smile, but I told myself it wasn't a pity smile; it was a tired smile, and I saw it in his eyes as well as the bags under them. Dad looked like he came back from work for the first time like a few weeks ago, and the anvil off guilt dropped hard in my chest.
      "Hey," he greets softly.
      "Hey," I reply with the same tone. There's silence between us before Dad inhales a shaky breath and looks up at me.
"I'm sorry I jumped at you, I don't know how you grieve, and it's very different from how I do it." He says. "I do miss Dalia. I guess always having the worst fall on you day after day makes you numb after a while." I nod in understanding. "Hey um. . .while you're here, Coulson wanted you to try this. If you can't do some of them tell me," Dad moves a big screen on a lowered crane towards me.
I approach it to see a big math equation with variables and symbols I've never seen in my life.
"They're comparing me to you," I say lowly. Dad looks at the screen to see the equation.
He looks back at me in confusion. "What math class do you take?"
I feel my cheeks grow red. ". . .the lower one."
"And that is. . ." Dad eyes me with a small smile.
"There's Honors Algebra," I tell him, holding my hand up high. "Algebra A," I lower my hand a little bit to make it appear in the middle. "Then there's Algebra 'B,'" I lower my hand to my waist, making it a great amount of space from where my hand was before. "I'm in 'B.'" Dad nods with a small smile. "So what they think I can do, I can't," Dad nods again and pulls the screen away.
"Fury said I was smart, smart like cunning. Smart like keeping you safe," I explain.
"That's nice," Dad smiles. He looks back down at the desk with papers sprawled across from each end.
"He said you were apart of a team," I watch Dad freeze and slowly look over at me. He quickly looks away and clears his throat.
"Team," Dad says, his hands moving around the table like he was looking for something. "Team, team, team. . ."
"What was he talking about?"
"I-I—Fury is funny—he might have a stone cold face all the time, but he's—Fury is—"
"He's what?" we hear as the door lab opens. Fury walks in with Maria Hill at his side. "Miss Banner, I presume you remember Agent Hill,"
I purse my lips into a smile and nod, awkwardly waving at Maria. "Hi," Maria nods back with straight lips.
"We need to talk about Miss Banner's place in SHIELD now," Fury says.
"You don't have to keep calling me Miss Banner," I tell Fury.
      Fury nods as he approaches us. "Maybe one day we can call you Agent,"
      Dad glares at Fury and shakes his head. "Don't tell her that, you already told her about. . .the team,"
      "Oh," Fury says, his eye growing wide, his shocked expression a mock. "We're not mentioning the 'A' word I see," Dad sighs and shakes his head. "Are we also not going to mention the agreement on the two of you staying here?"
      "Here?" I ask.
      "More than likely a building SHIELD houses for agents and civilians in protection services," Maria explains.
      "No," I say. Fury and Maria look at me with raised eyebrows. "I don't want to do that!" I begin to nervously laugh. "I-I'm a kid! How am I going to finish school? I have a whole life ahead of me—I have friends—I have homework to do!"
      "The government doesn't care about your homework," Fury snaps. "We already have the news calming down, but the government is still out there, and there's no way you two are going back to New York,"
      "I don't want to stay here!" I turn to Dad. "Is there anywhere else in New York we can go?" That's when it clicks. "Jen!" I smile wide and turn around. "My aunt Jen lives way out of the city! She used to live with us for a few months because her house was so far away!"
      "Jennifer Walters?" Maria asks, turning to Dad. "I thought she was in Canada?"
      "She's where?" I ask, turning back to Dad.
      "It's complicated," Dad says. "Listen, SHIELD will be comfortable if you give it a chance—"
      "But I want a place that I know is safe, for both of us," I sigh.
      "Kerry," Maria says. "We can assure you that SHIELD takes good care of everyone placed under their protection. We have people around the clock. . ."
      Her voice fades away as I think. I start pacing in circles, looking down at me feet with my hands at my head. I catch a glimpse of Dad, who wears a Dad frown. His arms are crossed and he sways lightly from side to side.
      "You don't have any other blood relatives so—"
      In that moment, watching Dad reminded me of someone familiar, someone I loved so much.
      "Yes!" I shout, too excitedly. "I do! I do have a relative!"
      "What?" Dad asks. "Who?"
      "My uncle!" I smile. "He lives far away from the park and my house! He lives right in the middle of New York!"
      "You have an uncle?" Maria asks.
      Fury stares at me, then looks to Dad. "Is she talking about who I think she's talking about?" Dad nods with his eyes exhaustedly closed. "Oh hell no Banner—"
      "We lived with him!" Dad says defensively.
      "I thought you two lived together because you were boyfriends," Fury retorts. Dad rolls his eyes as I shake off the awkward comment.
      "Isn't it perfect?" I ask, laughing. "No one would ever think to look for us in the home of a billionaire!"

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